AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION Shamrock Rovers 1 Sligo Rovers 2:HAVING HAD two right backs sent off in the second half of a dramatic encounter at Tallaght last night Shamrock Rovers surrendered both a lead and some significant ground in the title race as they went down to a John Dillon injury-time winner.
Referee Damien Hancock was booed by the home support at the break for a couple of first-half decisions but was harangued bitterly at the end by players, officials and fans alike after dismissing both Pat Sullivan and Pat Flynn.
The former reckoned he was very hard done by to get a second yellow but the latter can have few complaints after a reckless, and needless, challenge on Iarflaith Davoren just a few minutes after being brought on.
Having taken just six points from five games since their rampage in Galway a month ago, Sligo arrived needing to win in order to inject some life back into their title chase, but their hosts’ form of late had made the three points seem a tall order.
Both sides went for it, though, and in an even and very entertaining game, most notable for the skills of Joseph Ndo and Rohan Ricketts, Paul Cook’s side had the better of the chances to make a breakthrough over the course of the first hour.
It was in the last 30 minutes, though, that things really livened up. Hancock’s decision to show Sullivan a second yellow for throwing the ball away caused consternation amongst the locals who claimed the defender had thrown it in the direction of the corner that had just, wrongly they reckoned, been awarded.
The right back had barely finished remonstrating with the fourth official, though, when Ricketts broke forward down the left and floated in a perfectly weighted cross for Gary Twigg who got the better of both Sligo centre halves to head home.
Sligo then set about chasing things with an obvious sense of urgency and were worth their equaliser nine minutes from time when Ndo and Matthew Blinkhorn helped set John Russell up for a fine finish. With Sligo now enjoying a bit of momentum, Michael O’Neill sought to firm things up at the back by bringing on Flynn for Karl Sheppard but the defender had hardly touched the ball before he ploughed high and late into Davoren and was promptly dismissed.
Reduced to nine men, the Dubliners dug in but Sligo needed just two of the five added minutes to complete the turnaround with Dillon turning home an Ndo cross amid claims of a handball by Blinkhorn in the build-up.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Thompson; Sullivan, Sives, Murray, Paterson; Rice; Sheppard (Flynn, 85 mins), Finn, Turner, Ricketts (Dennehy, 58 mins); Twigg (Kilduff, 56 mins).
SLIGO ROVERS: Clarke; Cretaro (Keane, 56 mins), Peers, McGuinness, Davoren; Ventre (Dillon, half-time) ; Ndo, Russell, Greene (Blinkhorn, 54 mins); Doyle.
Referee: D Hancock(Dublin).
COMBINED ticketsfor Shamrock Rovers' three Europa League group matches go on sale this morning at Tallaght stadium to members and season ticket holders priced at €70. The tickets will go on general sale at 2pm this afternoon.
The club will take on Rubin Kazan of Russia, PAOK from Greece and Tottenham Hotspur, the first time an Irish side has reached the group stages of a Uefa club competition. Tickets for next Thursday's game against Rubin Kazan will also go on sale today priced €25 but individual tickets for the other two group games will not be available.
